In the competitive and crowded vehicle market, cost of ownership of the vehicle has become one of the defining selection factors at the consumer end. The effective cost of the vehicle is predominantly dependent on the initial and the operation/running cost of the vehicle. The operational cost is mainly dependents on the fuel consumption per unit distance, as it relates directly to the engine performance.
However the engine torque, speed and power output define the driving mode of the vehicle. The vehicle needs to be operated in a dynamic mode in which the parameters have to be optimized for minimal fuel consumption. Typical driving tracks such as in Ghats i.e. on uphill roads with series of bends, and conditions such as overtaking, high power is preferable but the engine operated in a minimal fuel consumption mode.
The challenge and the unmet need have been to provide an engine system that meets the varying requirements, offer choice to the end user of selecting and operating in power or economic mode, in a relatively system simple obviating the need for complex constructions, interfaces and yet achieving the desired fuel economy and enhanced performance.
Prior Art discloses several systems but have failed to comprehensively meet the above requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,490,000 discloses a fuel economy control module with associated logic that allows the vehicle to operate in a fuel economy mode based on a desired fuel economy preference. The fuel economy control logic is in electrical communication with a vehicle system controller and may be integrally formed as a sub-module within the vehicle system controller. A fuel economy control switch controlled by the fuel economy control logic toggles between an on and an off position to enable or disable a fuel economy mode. This related to a fuel economy control system and strategy for an alternative fuel vehicle such as an electric, a hybrid electric, or a fuel cell vehicle, by a switching functions depending upon a multitude of inputs on the vehicle operating conditions. However this system suffers from complexity, it comprises of an electric, a hybrid electric, or a fuel cell vehicle for its operation.
JP2005214086A discloses eco-friendly power drive device wherein communication interface is connected to the microcomputer equipped with the keyboard switch and the indicator. It controls the air fuel ratio using the fuel-injection-quantity-regulating-function in the engine control unit of the vehicle. Fuel-injection control is corrected by the travelling driving working state of vehicle. The microcomputer connected to the engine control unit of said vehicle through a communication interface has a vehicle-type discrimination function. It connects to the engine control unit of any vehicle through a communication interface, a fuel-injection-quantity correction can be appropriately selected and performed for that vehicle type.
This system disclosed in JP2005214086A suffers from drawbacks such as (i) need of an interfacing unit in between the Engine ECU and Input switch; (ii) Average capability of a vehicle specification at the time of factory shipments; (iii) Switch over from ECO to Normal to Power is dependent on Pedal position; (iv) Factory setting is sub optimal, More complex system, More reliability issues, Safety issues as switching is dependent upon Acceleration Pedal; (v) Use of complex algorisms adding to the failure modes, requires lot many inputs for effective functioning; (vi) Limited to gasoline vehicles, (vii) need of physical Linkages leading more number of parts and in turn reliability issues.
Japanese patent. JP2011196346A discloses a vehicle apparatus. It operates in a mode when the control apparatus is switched to the low-fuel-consumption mode. The information of the state of the vehicle is acquired by the vehicle status information acquisition means. The engine power of the said vehicle exists in a condition with required raising rapidly, the signal made to be switched from the said low-fuel-consumption mode to a said normal mode is output to the said control apparatus. The system disclosed suffers from the drawback that extensive vehicle data (gradient, engine speed, distance to previous vehicle, 1st relative velocity of the previous vehicle, highway main line, maps to limit vehicle rapidly raising phenomena to save the fuel consumption.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,224,560 disclose eco-drive Support Device and Method of notification to the driver to use eco drive based on the multiple inputs. However the system requires road information, requires continuous information from accepted on its position and many more inputs requires to notify the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,352,150 discloses engine control apparatus comprising driving-state detection (accelerator opening-degree change rate i.e. amount of actuation of acceleration pedal), storage means (for storing the mode maps), the engine control modes (3 modes—power mode, save mode and a normal mode). One of the engine control modes are selected on the basis of vehicle speed and a weighted average sums of parameters corresponding to plurality of events based on driving state detected. This system suffer from the drawback that it needs intricate algorithms involving multiple inputs from various sensors in the vehicle.